Fibromyalgia Sufferers May Get Relief From Tai Chi, Yoga - Sure Start News

Two new studies suggest that gentle stretching and meditation exercises, such as some forms of yoga and Tai Chi, may help those that suffer from Fibromyalgia.

58 women were enrolled in the yoga study. 25 of those participated in a two hour yoga class once a week, for eight weeks. The class was designed specifically for women with Fibromyalgia, and included gentle stretches, poses, instructions on coping with fibromyalgia, and group discussions. The remaining 28 women were told they were on a waiting list, and served as a control group.

Participants in the class were “somewhat apprehensive”, according to lead study author James Carson, a clinical psychologist and pain specialist at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, “but once they got into the rhythm of it they found it to be very helpful.”

At the end of the study, 4.5% of the participants said they felt “very much better”. 77% said they were “a little better”, 4.5% reported no change. In the control group, none reported “very much better”, 19.2% reported “a little better”, and 38.5% reported no change.

The study was published in the Oct 14th issue of the journal “Pain”.

In August, a study published by The New England Journal of Medicine  found that the slow and meditative practice of Tai Chi can be helpful to women with Fibromyalgia. Tai Chi is an ancient art form, rooted in the practice of martial arts such as Kung Fu, but done slowly and with a focus on the health benefits rather than fighting.

Participants took two Tai Chi classes each week, and received a DVD to practice with 20 minutes each day. Compared to a control group, which participated in a stretching and education class, the Tai Chi students demonstrated more weekly improvement using the  Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire, according to the studies authors. One-third of the Tai Chi students stopped using medications during the course of the study, compared with one-sixth in the stretching/education group.

Researchers noted that both studies were small, and that more research was needed with larger numbers of participants and different instructors, to see if successful ratios held up.

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Yoga for Stress Relief (With The Dalai Lama)

Yoga instructor Barbara Benagh has practiced and taught yoga for nearly 35 years. She discovered yoga while living in England and began teaching there. She moved to Boston and opened The Yoga Studio on Beacon Hill in 1980.

In addition to her local classes Barbara teaches yoga seminars throughout the US and internationally. She is a regular contributor of articles to Yoga Journal magazine. She has several audio CDs of live classes available as well as DVDs, the latest being Yoga for Beginners released by Body + Soul magazine, and Yoga for Stress Relief that includes a discussion on meditation from the Dalai Lama.

Barbara was kind enough to answer some questions from Amazon.com about this unique line of yoga DVDs.

How are these DVDs different from other yoga DVDs?

I was drawn to working with Bodywisdommedia because they produce DVDs they are interactive. Rather than a "one size fits all" single routine that is typical of most products, these DVDs offer choice, allowing the user to customize and change their yoga practice to suit their needs. No two persons are the same so the ability to change your practice - easing shoulder tension one day and an invigorating morning wake up the next - come as close as possible to allowing you to address your individual needs at home. Not only do people have different physical needs, but they have different time constraints as well. If you have only 20 minutes, there is a practice for you but there are longer practices as well (some as long as 90 minutes) that address the total body/mind connection. The sheer number of yoga sequences offered on each of these DVDs is a first. They are incredibly comprehensive.

How were you able to get the Dalai Lama involved?

This project dovetailed perfectly with the Dalai Lama's message that modern stress is one of the greatest obstacles to our mental happiness and physical wellbeing. Because we are long-time sincere practitioners, having a 30-minute lecture of the Dalai Lama teaching how to meditate on the Yoga for Stress Relief DVD was a perfect fit. Bodywisdommedia also has a broader relationship with the Office of Tibet and are releasing historic lectures with "A Path to Happiness" being the first one.

How will potential buyers of these DVDs know which one is right for them?

The titles are very indicative of what appears on the DVD and therefore a good guide. I really enjoyed making Yoga for Stress Relief because it is incredibly relevant. We strove to make the sequences accessible to as many people as possible, whether they are a beginner or long time practitioner. Yoga for Beginners is a great, non-threatening place to get started and includes lots of sound technique developed over my 30 years as a yoga teacher. Power Yoga for Every Body is a bit more challenging taking you from the beginning level and gradually progressing to much more demanding routines.

Price: $19.99

Click here to buy from Amazon